If the album does drop in 2018, as expected, it’ll come a little more than 7 years since “Tha Carter IV” was released – easily the longest time in between projects in the series. Weezy reached a settlement in court with Cash Money Records in June, allowing for this moment to come.

We haven’t been without music from Wayne since the last Carter album, however. He’s released about 10 projects in that time, providing his core fan base with plenty of music to whet their appetites, including the release of his most recent mixtapes, “Dedication 6” in December and “D6: Reloaded” in January.

What we haven’t really gotten from Wayne in that time is a deep dive into some of the personal drama he’s dealt with in the last seven years. He’s spit clever one-liners to at least address some of things that have happened to him, like the TMZ report of him being in critical condition in 2013, but he doesn’t dwell on those topics long. True to form, Wayne usually bounces back to a line about bitches, pussy, lean or any of the other vices we’ve heard him flip into an incredible quotable.

That’s the inspiration behind this post. It’d be foolish to doubt Lil Wayne’s ability to captivate a mass audience once again without ever really giving us a glimpse into his personal life, but here are a few things I expect Wayne to address to take the “Tha Carter V” to another level.

Circumstances that delayed the project

We know the overarching reason is because of bad business. Baby a.k.a. Birdman, head of Cash Money Records, has a reported track record of not paying artists what they’re due, but Lil Wayne was always thought to be family – not just an artist. There’s definitely more to the story we don’t know.

Maybe Wayne doesn’t want us to know everything, but are there any lessons from this experience he can share with younger artists? What’s his current relationship with Birdman, if any? What emotions did Wayne experience going through this entire ordeal?

Health status

Wayne acknowledged that he’s epileptic in 2013, explaining why he’s dealt with so may seizures. This was surprising news to all of his fans, considering we’ve been listening to his music since he was teenager and just finding out.

In no way is Weezy obligated to talk about something as personal in his music but if he has a positive message about the condition, that message coming from an icon like him could possibly serve as a coping mechanism for others who silently deal with the disorder. How is he managing and limiting his seizures? How has his overall health, including mental health, been lately? Is he still drinking too much lean?

Women

It may seem like all Wayne raps about is women, but it’s only ever about how much he loves ‘them’ and not a specific ‘her,’ or it’s about how they can physically pleasure him and how he can return the favor. I can’t think of a time Wayne has acknowledged feelings about a specific special lady, or addressed his feelings about marriage or settling down. I guess he’s indirectly let us know exactly how he feels, but it’d be nice to know how he arrived to that way of thinking.

New Rappers

A lot of rappers boast about the clones they birthed, but none may have ownership to that claim more than Wayne. He has absolutely inspired an entire generation of rappers, most openly admitting his influence. DJ Drama, not Wayne, was the one heavily emphasizing that point on the sixth installments of the Dedication mixtapes. Wayne has touched on it a little, but we don’t really have a clue as to his feelings about this new wave of rappers and if he’s satisfied with the direction he’s had a large hand in pushing the game to.

Social Issues

Wayne isn’t a stranger to speaking on social issues that directly impact him, such as the time he called out George W. Bush for the country’s lackadaisical response to Hurricane Katrina in his hometown of New Orleans. But the last time we heard Wayne dip his toe into those waters was when he said racism didn’t exist, and then followed that by dismissing the Black Lives Matter movement. His friend, T.I., called him out on the matter, and he eventually apologized.

After the public backlash he received, Wayne should’ve educated himself on these matters and developed a more formal opinion. It’d also be nice to hear how he feels about Donald Trump.

Maybe we shouldn’t expect the 35-year-old rapper to have his 4:44 moment 12 years younger than Jay-Z, but we can’t expect Wayne to enamor us simply with punchlines and charisma forever, can we? Can he?